1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packet switched networks, and more particularly to configuring network entities with the requisite settings in order to participate within a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
IP Telephony (VoIP) is a converged voice/data technology that uses the data network to carry voice (telephone) traffic, and is rapidly revolutionizing the world of enterprise communications. Some benefits of IP telephony include the ability to manage individual phone systems, access to a plethora of features and applications, improved reliability, improved performance, substantial cost savings and unified messaging.
Another key benefit of VoIP technology is that it allows networks to be built using either a centralized or a distributed architecture. In general, centralized architectures are associated with H.248 and MGCP. These protocols were designed for a centralized device called a media gateway controller or call agent that handles switching logic and call control. The centralized device communicates with the media gateways, which route and transmit the audio/media portion of the voice calls. In centralized architectures, the network intelligence is centralized and endpoints are relatively dumb with limited or no native features. Distributed architectures are associated with H.323 and SIP protocols. These protocols allow network intelligence to be distributed between endpoints and call-control devices. Intelligence in this instance refers to call state, calling features, call routing, configuring, billing, or any other aspect of call handling. The endpoints can be VoIP gateways, IP phones, media servers, or any device that can initiate and/or terminate a VoIP call. The call-control devices are called gatekeepers in an H.323 network, and proxy or redirect servers in a SIP network.
One significant difference between a POTS (plain old telephone service) network and a VoIP network is that some architectures and intelligent subscriber gateways and/or IP phones now reside on the customer premises. These devices may be very complex and require to be configured before use, unlike a POTS phone. Therefore easier configuration of subscriber gateways, or end points becomes important as the network scales up. In a hosted PBX or IP Centrex environment users simply plug their IP phone 12a into the LAN, and the IP phone 12a is auto-configured. However, to date, the issue of auto-configuration of IP endpoints in a non-hosted PBX, or non-IP centrex environment, has not been adequately or satisfactorily addressed. Typically, in a non-hosted PBX, or non-IP centrex environment, each customer end point must be configured, managed and maintained individually, and so the user is often tasked to manually enter the configuration settings for the device, such as the service provider's configuration server address or other network settings. Also, the user must usually prearrange IP telephony services with an Internet or VoIP service provider in order to select the configuration or services options.
Therefore, the user is burdened with the task of reviewing the installation guide, or other documentation in order to correctly connect the device to the network. The installation process is often not successful, as a certain level of knowledge of networking is assumed. Inevitably, the frustrated end-user contacts the service provider for support, and the service provider is faced with higher costs during the installation process as well as the ongoing support, operation, and upgrades. These costs are significant and can dramatically impact its profitability. Also, slower deployment leads to fewer subscriptions, lost market share, decreased ARPU, and customer churn.
For carriers delivering residential VoIP and other IP services, mass deployment represents a challenge, as a large number of devices have to be configured and supported. Typically, the devices are bought from different vendors, and so the devices generally require vendor-specific configuration settings which must be enabled in the phones for the end-user to enjoy the full functionality of the device. Also, mass deployment over the Internet is often impeded by lack of interoperability and complexity of configurations, and firewall/NAT issues.
It is an object of the present invention to mitigate or obviate at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages.